A circumnavigation with a mission
by Des Ryan on 30 Aug 2010
Dr Josie sailing round Britain SW
Circumnavigation has a fascination for sailors, be it round the world, the Americas, Australia or Britain.
So what do you do when you are told that you only have months to live?
Why, you go sail a circumnavigation...or maybe only heroes do.
Dr Josie Phillips, 27, was used to being in contact with terminally ill people, but that didn't prepare her for her own diagnosis with a brain tumour.
In 2008 she was told her tumour was malignant and her life expectancy was little more than a year. So what did she do? Yes, she and her husband Roger went sailing.
They are currently nearing the end of a 2,000-mile round-Britain sailing trip that aims to raise £25,000 for charities including Brain Tumour Research. They are sailing a Contessa 32, called Nordlys
They set sail on the 15th May this year from Fox's marina on the river Orwell. They are well on the way, having completed the east coast of England and Scotland, passed through the Caledonian canal and are now on the west coast. They are planning to finish the challenge on the 4th September back at Fox's marina in Suffolk.
When the couple dropped anchor in Lymington they met with Jeremy Rogers, whose company built their Contessa 32 yacht Nordlys in 1980.
Mr Rogers’s wife Fiona said: 'When we heard what they were doing we were really struck by Josie’s bravery. We loaned them a dinghy and outboard motor and also helped out by doing a lot of work on the boat.'
Dr Phillips was upbeat about their trip, which, at that stage had covered more than 1800 miles. 'We’ve had plenty of highs and lows, including some horrendous weather, but generally we’ve had a brilliant time. Everyone’s been incredibly supportive.'
They are trying to raise £20,000 for brain tumour research, and have almost reached £14,000 at time of writing.
Dr Phillips is planning to return to her job at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after the four-month voyage ends next week.
She said: 'Living with an incurable disease is extremely difficult – I’m just trying to carry on as normally as possible. I was a patient before I was a doctor, which helps me empathise with the people I treat.'
A Brain Tumour Research spokesman added: 'Josie has already outlived her prognosis and is living on borrowed time.'
Anyone wishing to support her fundraising campaign should visit her website, www.contessa32.co.uk.
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/74062
